Some very good info there guys, thank you!
AstrO- Very, very sorry to hear of your friend's tragic mistake.
Let's hope that others heed your advice and perhaps some good will come of it.
Danbones - Yes, Yarrow is a wonderful plant, but unfortunately too close in appearance to some other very deadly plants when young. It is antiseptic
and an excellent styptic (stops blood flow) - handy for cuts, bloody noses etc. It also seems to work as a catalyst when mixed with other plants. I
don't know what the mechanism is but it does seem to really help. I got blocked up during one survival outing from eating too many chipmunks

and
the instructor made a tea of yarrow and barberry root that cleared me out gently.
Interesting info on Indian paintbrush - I remember it growing all over Oklahoma, well that and roadkill armadillos everywhere.
Nearly all good medicinal plants are toxic in some degree, that is why anyone should study them intensely before attempting to use.
Dr. Duke is the man, his book
The Green Pharmacy is fantastic and highly recommended for anyone interested in medicinal plants.
It bears mentioning that Elderberry is a poisonous plant and only the
ripe fruit are edible. Not terribly toxic but used wisely is a valuable
medicine.
I gotta say how much I love your Avatar Dan. Those colors don't run unless they're chasing Yankees.
Elostone -Thank you for your contributions! The parsley family is one of the most interesting and diverse plant families. When we start talking about
Taxonomy I fear some people think " oh, no! I made D's in biology - I'm outta here!" It certainly seems to scare some folks anyway. You sound very
competent, did you study botany in school or just for fun?
We could definitely use some exclusively western plants on this thread. Any common edibles out that way everyone should know about?
Thanks again for your contributions and kind comments. I have been pleasantly surprised at the responses to the thread, I'm glad some folks are
really interested.